For the week ending Feb. 25, total inspections of grain (corn, wheat, and soybeans) for export from all major U.S. export regions totaled 2.8 million metric tons (mmt), the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported today.
Total grain inspections were up 14% from the previous week, 28% from last year, and 16% from the three-year average, the USDA said in its weekly Grain Transportation Report. The increase from the previous week was driven mainly by a 29% jump in corn inspections and a 178% rebound in corn shipments to Asia. Also, from the previous week, soybean inspections increased 4% and wheat inspections decreased 16%, GTR said. In the Pacific Northwest, total grain inspections jumped 75% from the previous week, but decreased 6% in the Mississippi Gulf. In the last four weeks, inspections were 41% above the same period last year and 23% above the prior three-year average, GTR said.
For the week ending Feb. 27, barge grain movements totaled 439,100 tons, 10% lower than the previous week and 11% higher than the same period last year. For the week ending Feb. 27, 267 grain barges moved down river — 16 barges fewer than the previous week. There were 779 grain barges unloaded in New Orleans, 16% higher than the previous week.
